winters



(No Model.)

J. B. WINTERS.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented Sept. 1,1885.

N FFTERS. Phom-Mlwgmphen Wlxhingwn 0'64 UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

JOHN B. WVINTERS, OF BERGEN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF FlVE-EIGHTHS TO MICHAEL F. BERGIN AND ALEXANDER B. ENOCH, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,303, dated September 1, 1885.

Application filed April 2, 1885. (No model.)

1" 0 (LE whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN B. Wmrnns, of Bergen, in the county of Genesee and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers, which improve ment is fully set forth in the following specifi cation and shown in the accompanying drawlugs.

The object of my invention is to produce a coupling device for railway-cars, by means of which said cars may be coupled together or uncoupled, either from the deck of a car or from the ground at either side thereof; and the invention consists in parts and devices, combined and arranged substantially as hereinafter specified, and more particularly point ed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of an end of a freight-car, showing my improved coupling device attached in place, the bumper being transversely sectioned near the outer end to more fully show the coupling-hook, parts of the car not essential to the figure being omitted; Fig. 2, a side elevation of a part of the same, viewed as indicated by arrow in Fig. 1, parts being broken away, with the bumper in part longitudinally sectioned, as on the dotted line a in Fig. 3, drawn to further show the coupling-hook, the same being shown by full lines in the position when operating, and in dotted lines in the po sition when raised and inoperative; Fig. 3, a plan of the bumpers with adjacent timbers, seen as indicated by arrow in Fig. 2, drawn to show the coupling-hook as it rests in the bumper, and to more fully show the construction of the parts at the inner end of the bumper; Fig. l, a view showing on a larger scale the form of the upper end of the rod attached to the coupling-hook and combined parts, the bracket holding the rod being vertically sectioned through the slot occupied by the rod; and Fig. 5, a similar view of the parts in different relative positions, a part of the rod and bracket being vertically sectioned.

Referring to the parts, A is the body of a freight-car of common construction B, the bumper thereof, and G O longitudinal timbers under the car, on either side of the bumper. b is the coupling-hook, held within a cavity or slot, 1), in the bumper, in position to hold the link a. c is a rod secured to the hook b, which extends substantially vertically up along the end of the car to a point in easy reach of a person on top thereof. (1 is a rod or shaft ly- 5 5 ing horizontally in bearings t across the end of the car, between the latter and the rod 0, connected with said rod by a short double crank, c. At the sides of the car, the ends 1' of the shaft are turned downward to act as arms or levers to be grasped by the hand of the attendant in operating the coupler from the ground.

The bumper B lies between two longitudinal timbers, O O, which latter are longitudinally slotted at 9, near their inner ends, within which slots lie two horizontal cross-bars, 7t and 11, fitted to slide backward or forward along therein, the latter resting snugly against the end of the bumper, as shown in Fig. 3. An axial longitudinal stem, f, reaching backward from the bumper, pierces these crossbars, through both of which it is fitted to freely slide, and a burr, Z, on the outside of the bar it prevents the stem being drawn out of said 7 5 bar. A stiff spiral spring, 76, upon the stem f, between the cross-bars, renders the bumper yielding or springy in its longitudinal action, and when the bumper is either drawn in a direct ion out of or pushed farther under the car, the spring will in either case be compressed between said cross-bars.

The coupling-hook b rests in a longitudinal cavity, 1), in the bumper, and its inner reduced end is bent around a strong draftpin, a, extending horizontally across the bumper near the rear end of the slot 1), and when the hook is raised or lowered, as indicated, in the act of uncoupling or coupling the car, it moves in a vertical plane upon the pin a as a pivot.

It will be understood from the drawings that a person on the top of the car may raise the hook b and uncouple the car by grasping the ring a at the upper end of the rod 0 and pulling upward; also, that, on account of the crank 9 5 e, a man on the ground on either side of the car may raise the hook and uncouple the car by turning either arm 1* to the inclined position shown in dotted lines at 0.

A joint, 8, in the rod 0, below the crank- 10o connection 6, permits the bumper to move longitudinally without straining said rod.

The upper end of the rod 0 is held within a bracket, 12, secured to the end of the car-body, said rod being provided with notches a in its outer edge, formed to catch upon the edge 0 of the bracket when necessary.

A spring, d, secured to the car in position to bear against the rear side of the rod 0, just under the bracket, tends to urge said rod forward to hold one or the other of the notches on the edge of the bracket. The upper part of the rod is also expanded and vertically slotted at 1*, within which slot is pivoted, at s, to the rod, a small lever, c, reaching above and below the notches a. This lever, when thrown relatively forward within the slot, as shown in Fig. 5, crosses the line of or practically closes the notches, and serves to cause the rod to present a continuous face to the edge 0 of the bracket when the rod is moved up or down, preventing the notches from catching on the edge of the bracket, as above stated. A simple ring, 0, secured to the upper part of the crook u, in position to be thrown over the upper end of the lever c, as shown in Fig. 5, holds said lever forward in the position just described. When left to itself, the lever falls back away from the notches from gravity.

The hook I) is formed, near its outer end,

with a point or projection, at, back of which the couplinglink is held. The hook is also curved at its outer or front end down to the point a, so that it down, as shown in full lines, an approaching link will pass under and raise it, thereby effecting the coupling automatically, the hook falling to place by gravity when the opening of the link passes under the point n.

When the upper notch, a, engages the bracket 12, the coupling hook b will be held to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, in which it holds the link. When the lower notch is caught on the bracket, the couplinghook will be held up in the position shown in dotted lines, out of the way of the link.

WVhat I claim as my invention is In a car-coupling device, a lever, c, and a ring or crook, u, provided with an additional ring or catch, 6, in combination with a notched sectional lever, c, the bracket 1), the spring (1', which operates to press said rod forward. against the edge 0 of said bracket, the longitudinal bar (1, and the coupling-hook It, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

J. B. \VINTERS.

\Vitnesses:

E. B. XVHITMQRE, M. E. FURLONG. 

